Allentown, Pa. (Oct. 24, 2011)—Cedar Crest College presents Quiet Little Voices, an exhibition featuring the work of artist Neil Powell now through Jan. 7 in the Lachaise Gallery of the Miller Family Building. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Powell’s artwork is expressed through a number of art forms including paintings, drawings and sculptures. His work has been described as “modern day hieroglyphics” depicting numerous forms of human emotions, mannerisms and circumstances.

“It isn’t that often that you see an artist’s work that speaks so clearly, “said Cedar Crest’s Gallery Coordinator Brian Wiggins. “Neil has a keen understanding of visual language and fully exploits his knowledge.”

This knowledge, Wiggins said, is an important quality to bring to the local community and students, adding that Powell uses a straight forward approach to his art, using minimal colors and creating lines that are agitated and under pressure much like the characters he is representing.

“Through the simple contrast of color we are captured and commanded to observe,” Wiggins said. “He has adopted a similar approach to drawing by using a method developed from illustration in the 1950’s. All of this simplicity adds up to a complex message about the personal and the collective consciousness.”

The University of Kentucky graduate grew up on a small pig farm in western Kentucky, an upbringing that has influenced his view on numerous aspects of life, and therefore, his art.